Electrical system.



A. W.. CUPLEY & B. D. KUNKLE.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

APPLxcATIoN man nrc. la, |914.

UNITED5 STATES PATENT (')j-BFE.

ALMON W. COPLEY AND BAYARD D, KUNKLE, OF WILKINSBURG, PENNSYLVAIAL' ASSIGNORS T0 WESTINGHOUSE -ELECTRIC AND MANUFACTURING CCBIPANY, A

CORPORATION OF PENNSYT'VANIA.

ELECTRICAL SYSTEM.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented l/Iar. 14, 1916.

Application filed December 18, 1914. Serial No. 877,949. I ,1

To al whom t may concern.'

Be it known that We, ALMoN W. COPLEY' and BAYARD D. KUNKLE, citizens of the United States, and residents of Wilkinsburg, in the county.,of Allegheny and State of Pennsylvania, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Electrical Systems, of which the following is a specification.

Our invention relates to electrical systems for automobiles and particularly to controlling devices therefor.

Our `invention has .for its object to provide a simple and eflicient means for controlling an electric system whereby the several circuits of said system may be controlled in their proper sequence by a unitary mechanism.

Our invention is particularly adapted for use in connection with startingr and ignition mechanisms :for internal combustion engines. The ignition circuit is controlled simultaneously w'ith the circuit of thc starting motor and it is, therefore, impossible to manipulate the ignition switch to produce a premature spark while the circuit of the stafti 1g motor is closed and the eng-ine shaft is being rotated"by the motor.

Anotherl feature of our invention resides in the fact that it may be employed for controlling the circuits of dynamo-electric machines that operate either as motors to'` start engines or may be driv'en by the engines as generators to furnish current for lighting "and ignition purposes and charging storage batteries. A 'dynamo-electric machine of this type ma'd be permanently' connected to thecnginefshaft` at a fixed speed ratio and-,provided withseries and shunt ield windings for opera-tion either as a series or a compound motor and as a compound generator.

lWhenemployed in connection with a dynamo-clectric machine of the type above described, the controlling mechanism operates to disconnect the shunt Field winding from the battery before the armature and the sc- The details of our invention will be described iii connection with the accompanyingrdrawings inl whichigure 1 is a view, in front elevation, lof a switching mechanism constructed in accordance with our invention, the cover plate being removed. Fig.`2 is a. view, in longitudinal section, of the mechanism of Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a view, in longitudinal section, taken at right angles to the View of F ig. 9i, of the mechanism ofFig. 1. Fig. 4 is a diagrammatic view of circuits and apparatus embodying our invention.

Referring particularly to Figs. 1, 2 and 3, a switch 1 comprises a substantially cylindrical flanged casing member Q, the ends of which are inclosed respectively by a disk 3 of insulating material and a cover Aplate 4 of metal or other suitable material. A stationary contact member 5, which is connect- 'ed to a terminal member 6,' coacts with a movable contact member 7 that is carried,

tatably mounted upon a short shaft 12.-

The cylinder 11 is provided with a llat portion 13 which, in one position of the cylinder, registers with the spring 8 to permitthe separation of the contract members. "'l.`he cylinder 1l constitutes, in effect, a `cain which controls the movable contact nie'myl ber 7 in accordance with its position.

A conducting plate 14, comprises threeA projections or contact fingers 15` 16 and 17 which coact with a series of stationary contact members 18, 19, 20 and 21. The cylinder 11 is actuated by means of a handle or lever 22 which may be fixed thereto or made removable, as desired.

Reference may now be had to Fig.. 4 which is a diagrammaticv view of circuits and apparatus embodying ourinvention. A dynamo-electric machine, the armature of which is indicated Yat 23, isprovided with sci-ics field windings 24 andk ashunt [icld winding 25. The circuit comprising the series field windings 21' an'd the armature of the dynamo-electric' machine is controlled by the contact members 5 and 7. The shunt .field Winding 25, which is connected to an intermediate or third brush 26, is connected to thecontact member 21.

An ignition circuit, which is supplied either from the battery or from the dynamoelectric machine 23, as the case may be, 'comprises an interrupter v27, an induction vcoil 28, distributer 29, and the usual engine spark .plugs 30. A magneto ignition circuit, which may beemployed ita dual ignition system' ,is desired, comprises a magneto generator 31, an induction coil 32, a distributeni, and engine spark plugs 34.

VWhen the switch is in its off7 position, as illustrated, the fiat portion 13 vof' the cylinder 11 registers with the spring 8, and the armature circuit of the dynamo-electric machine is broken at .the contact members 5 and 7. The contact fingers 15 and 17 respectively engagethe Contact members 18 and 19 to ground the terminals of themagneto 31 and thereby render the circuit supplied by it inoperative. The battery ignition circuit is rendered inoperative because vthe circuit of the primary windings of the induction coil 28 is broken at the contact --member 20. The circuit of the shunt field .windings 25 is broken at the contact member 21.

Tostart the engine, the lever 22 is actuated to the right, as viewed in Fig. 1, until -the contact fingers 15 and 17 respectively engage contact members 19 and 21. `When the contact finger 17 engages the contact member 20, the cam operation of the cylinder 11 has effected engagement of the contact members 5 and 7 to close the armature circuit of the dynamo-electric machine, and the ignition circuit is rendered operative by theconne'ction of the contact member 2O to the contac`t member 19, which is grounded.

The further actuation` of the lever 22 to effect the engagement of the contact members 17." ,and 21 has the additional effect of Connecting the lContact member 21 to the contactinember 19, the other circuits being maintained as just described. The dynamoelectric machine 23 then operates as a compo'und wound motor, the series eld Windings 24 and the shunt field winding. 25 'assisting each other to establish a strong magnetic field and thereby produce a correspondingly heavy torque.`

When the engine starts under its own power, 'the dynamo-electric machine 23 will be driven by the engine at the same speed ratio to operate asa compound Wound generator. The shunt field Winding, which is the main exciting winding, is then opposed by the series field windings 24- because the current traversing the latter windings is rcversed dur/ing generator operation. The

dynamo-electric machine operates as a selfregulating generator by reason of the fact electromotive force.

that the voltage between the terminals of the shunt field winding 25 is varied in accordance with the current traversing the armature circuit. This effect is produced by the shifting of the magnetic field caused by armature reaction and which is proportional v to the armature current, as is well known.

W hen the battery becomes fully charged, the lever 22 may beactuatedto its mid-position to disconnect the shunt field winding 7 25. The dynamo-electric machine then operates as a series motor, but at the ordinary speeds of the engine, little or no current will be received 4by Ithe dynamo-electric machine because of its comparatively high counter In this position of the switch, the dynamo-electric`machine would operate automatically -as a motor to propel'v l the car in case the engine should become stalled. To stop the engine, it is only necessary to bring the lever 22 to its off position to open the circuits of therespective field windings and to render the ignition circuit inoperative. It will be understood'that both the 9o.. battery and the magneto ignition circuits will be rendered inoperative in the off position of the switch because the circuit` of the primary winding of the induction coil of the battery ignition circuit is broken at the c'o'ntact member 2O and the terminals of the magneto generator 31 are grounded:v

The advantages of our invention are that a unitary mechanism may be employed to control the circuits of a motor dynamo and the ignition mechanism employed in connection with an internal combustion engine. The several circuits are opened and blosed in their proper sequence, and the switch may be adjusted to produce any desiredrelation of the several circuits. A

Biany changes may occur .to those skilled in the art to which our invention appertains, and such modifications may bemadewithout departing from the spirit of our inve'n- 11o v nition circuit, andra battery, of means forA simultaneously connecting said field winding to said battery and rendering said ignition circuit operative. f' '1 f 2. In an electrical system, thecombination with an `nternalcombustion engine, ya dynamo-electric machine having series and shunt field windings', an ignition circuit, and a battery, of means for simultaneouslyconnecting said series' field winding to the bat-er tery and renderingsaid ignition operative I and for connecting. said shunt'field winding 130 o in circuit vwith said battery while maintain- .Y i

ing the connections of said series field winding and lsaid ignitioncircui 3; In an electrical system,'tle combination with arr internal combustion en `ne, a dy naine-electric machine .operative y connected thereto, said dynamo electric machine having a-shunt-ield-magnet winding, ,an ignition circuit, and a battery, f a switching mechanism having successive positions for simultaneously cntrolling the armature circuit of said dynamo-electric machine vand said ignition 'circuit'and forcontrolling the circuitof theoshunj; ieldmagrtet winding.

namo-electric machine operative y connect- Led thereto,1 said 'dynamo-electric machine having series and shunt fieldunagnet Windu ings, a battery, and an ignition circuit, of a switching mechanism having progressive' positions in one of which the field windings are disconnected from the battery and the ignition circuit is in'o erative, la second posi-y both field windings are in circuit with the battery and the ignition circuit is operative. .5. In an electrical system, the combination with an internal combustion en ine, a dy- 4nameelectric machine operative y'connect- 4. In an electrical system, `the combination with an internal combustion en `ne, a dy ed thereto, an ignition circuit for said en trolling the circuits of said dynamoelectric machine and said ignition circuit, and means for actuating one movable contact member through a plurality of progressive positions while another movable contact member is actuated through a lesser number of positions.

6. In an electrical system,the combination with a dynamo-electric, machine having' se* ries and shunt field windings, /an ignition circuit, and a source of current, of a unitary switching mechanism having progressive positions in one of which the field windings are disconnected fromthe battery and the ignition-circuit is inoperative, a second positlon inwhich the series field winding is connected to Ithebattery and the ignition circuit is operative, and a third position in w'hich theseries and shunt field windings are con nected to the battery andthe ignition circuit is operative. v

In testimony whereof, we have hereunto subscribed our names this 16th day of Dec.,

ALMON W. COPLEY. BAYARD D. KUNKLEh Witnesses:

D. W. PERRY, B. B. Hines. 

